We have not sung he became poor for a while - we chant verses using Philippians 2 (His stat was divine) between each repetition. I tried to work out how we might sing Ein feste Burg this morning - I have a preference for the original rhythms which make it trickier but also more lively - watch this space.

One of my (post-Conciliar) childhood memories is that the Old Hundredth and Nun Danket seem to be the default hymns for beginning and ending Mass - sung from the Parish Hymnbook.

We had a 50 year reunion group in this morning (so a little older than my childhood memories) and their organiser always requests Ave Maris Stella for the end of Mass and we always suggest that it sung around the icon of Mary given to the University by Benedict XVI as way of having a focus for the hymn and connecting old and new.

Perhaps because eI spent quite a bit of time in the previous week considering the translation of this psalm response, a new setting emerged. It was naughty in a couple of ways. I do a single leaflet for July and therefore there was different music for the response (how many noted this?). I also decided that the response would be a tone higher each time (the growing metaphor I presume). This was compromised by a different tone for the 3 line verse and not modulating - this meant it did not go too high.

The psalm response is not taken from the psalm, as is usually the case, but from Luke's Gospel. In this country we are used to the principle that the response is taken from the scripture (which is not a principle followed elsewhere). If the scripture version is changing how does this affect the response? One of the particular questions is why Luke? when the Gospel this Sunday is Matthew (it is the parallel text). Secondly the response is not a direct quotation but an adaptation because in Luke's account it does not just produce its crop but does s a hundredfold.

Another go at the more streamlined setting of Romans 6. Looking back to 3 years ago I then noted it was 3 years since we had begun singing new settings (so now 6). I wondered then how long we might continue with the Missal Acclamations. My ambivalence to them continues: not convinced at an aesthetic level; recognising their functional success. Or to put it aonther way - people sing them and they do suit this period when we can be down to just singer on a Sunday.

A different matter — how does this Sunday's psalm fit in the Liruegy of the Word?

One think you learn with a choir is that different people mark up their music in different ways - the circling of a difficult note, the reminder of a wider interval. I tend to only write on my on scores and note possible edits. Neither death nor life had a number of possible amendments to the text of the verses and this inspired taking it home and reqorking the text so that it was far more regular from verse to verse.

Psalm 68 is one of few times we get a psalm of lament on a Sunday - and it is a rare appearance.

Unusual circumstances this Sunday. At 10.25 a message came from security that the chaplain would be between 30-45 minutes late. I was correct in my guess that the supply priest for the Mass in the parish at 10.30 failed to turn up. Looking back we were in some ways lucky it was Pentecost Sunday as it meant we could easily use some the vigil readings - I asked the reading to look at the 3rd and 4th and went from there. We have a history of singing Chris Walker's Veni Sancte Spiritus for long periods so it was an obvious place to start — though I though the full 30 minutes might be a bit much. There was some thinking on our feet — Give us, Lord was only thought of during the Ezekiel reading. By 11.30 I had thought we had probably 'vigilled' long enough and guess that the chaplain would be with us by the Gospel we began Mass; he arrived during the psalm - so I could give a quick report and suggest there was still a sequence to catch one's breath.

We tried a different Sequence setting this year. I had come across Bob Hurd's setting while preparing for a music day recently. Its appeal was that it used the same o filli et filliae Alleluia refrain as our Easter Sequence so made a nice seasonal bookend. It also had the bright idea of including the Gospel Acclamation verse. In the end I was not sure — I think its faux-medievalism lack melodic character at the end of the day.

The final hymn changed a number of times. In my list it was going to be Lord, you give the great commission but before Mass I had decided that would be too much. it then became Holy is God as a seasonal marker and something shorter. In the end I decided to have just the Celtic Alleluia as a swift ending — people had been there approaching 90 minutes — it seemed to be one of the congregation's most forthright sings!

I was away at a Conference in Hungary. It is always dangerours to draw the general from the specific but I was interested in a country's minimum liturgical/musical standard. So though we had for our Masses a singer and organist from the local cathedral we managed Kyrie, Sanctus & Agnus from Mass XVIII and little else. For example in Mass with the bishop the doxology was said. Admittedly our unfamiliarity with Hungarian was a possible issue - but the group is usually game to have a go and will happily sing a Taizé chant.

I was doing a workshop on limited musical resources which is quite an opaque phrase. I decided in the end it is about musical confidence rather than numbers. This morning there was just three of us - so various thing I had planned were put to one side. In act of musical confidence, which I am not sure the performance wholly bore out, I offered the first of Vaughan Williams 5 Mystical Songs.

I always enjoy the staginess of the Vigil. This includes the time beforehand when all the lights are on, ministers are preparing and people are arriving. Shortly we will be go into the night and capture the flame for the Easter Candle.

This probably is our model set of music for recent years with a variation of psalm. The one change was the use of the Missal 'The light of Christ' at the beginning. For many years we have used Taizé "The Lord is my light' and reason for that was a deacon who could not sing. It one advantage is that it does accompany the liturgical action with music and leads to the Exsulte.

The list above does not always include everything which is sung, for example, the procession with the cross was sung to the simple Missal tone. We also sing a short acclamation during the Passion readings on Sunday and today. I think this a better option than the congregation being the crowd (which seems to me a false-participation). I also think that a short acclamation is better than a hymn for three reasons: it should be short and not stop the narrative, just punctuate it; ideally it should be something people know so that they can participate by heart, thirdly most hymns are general passion rather than specific to the narrative. For a number of years we have used John Bell's Behold the Lamb of God for both Sunday and Friday. I have been aware that John's Passion has a different emphasis and wanted to reflect this in the acclamation. This year we tried my For God so loved the world — a Johannine text.

I commented earlier in Lent about the desirability of a hymn as an authentic mode of participation.

I think we (I?) have reconciled ourselves to less music - e.g. at Communion and in the crypt. It definitely flows more easily without that feeling that once we finish this piece the next will start immediately.

We had done the Nardone anthem on Maundy Thursday before. We have used it this term with the University choir and so it was good to place the chant of Ubi Caritas in its proper place. As I have probably said before it is a simple but effective piece - in some ways just the same melody sung three times but with enough variation and satisfaction for the singers.

We tried a different arrangement of singers for the Pange Lingua chant. It always involves a certain logistical planning with some singers heading for the crypt ahead of the procession and some staying with the procession upstairs and then making our way by a different route to regather with the singers in the crypt. What was apparent this year was that the congregation had taken up Ricky Manalos (lush) chant. I am not sure how long we have sung it (since 2010 and I note that in 2011/12 people seem to be picking it up well!)

Last year, I was away for Palm Sunday so this was the first time I had experienced the procession. We have a natural gathering point and route - from what was originally one of Walpole's follies - the Chapel in the Woods across the piazza to the chapel. We began with the choir singing the opening antiphon. For the procession we continued our use of the Hosanna from the Gathering Mass and I written a psalm tine from verses from Psalm 24. It seemed to work well, my one thought was that the harmony on the Hosannas might have been better left until we had entered the chapel.

We were joined by 70 local Catenians this morning. Though they participated with vigour it made one take a step back and reflect on how much might be unfamiliar to them. I am not sure what might our common repertoire be - especially as I would consider that the local Lenten journey through the Sundays has precedence. but that said it also highlights what seems to me to a problem with those who are broadly 'anti-hymn' in the liturgy. It seems to me that however 'liturgical' the rest there is the need for a good sing which a hymn provides. I am writing this on the evening of Good Friday and I think an important moment in that liturgy is the communal singing of When I survey after Communion - a gift to us from the non-conformist tradition.

The piece by Richards Dubra had been sung by the University Choir in Leeds. It is good to find place for such pieces in our worship. Today because it climaxes on 'and live' - which seemed a command to Lazarus.

Back to normal this week. The motet at the preparation was mentioned by our member -so I got some copies. I am aware that much of what we sing is unfamiliar to her so it was good to have something where she was more familiar than the rest of use. It is effective a hymn anthem with a number of verses presented in a variety of ways and keys. The last hymn was also new to us. It is the advantage of planners that they can draw you attention to something you had not considered before. I thought it fitted the day well.

People have their favourite Christmas music and their can even jealousy about whose favourite is sung or not — not necessarily in a bad way but I suppose another factor in the choices we make. I think it's a legitimate wish but it also balanced with the dislikes. Christmas music can engender the emotions.

A first for the first hymn, one I have wished to do for a while. Unfortunately we had forgotten to put the hymn board up so though I announced the hymn and the number people did not have any visual information, alas.